Category Archives: Vocalists

Black History Month: Bettye Lavette

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(image from genius.com)

Bettye Lavette (January 29, 1946, Muskegon, MI, USA) is a soul singer whose music combines several different influences, from soul and blues to rock, funk, gospel, and even country music. Bettye got her start in 1962 with the single “My Man – He’s a Loving Man”, which was a Top 10 R&B hit. She toured at the time with Ben E King, Clyde McPhatter, Otis Redding, and Barbara Lynn. Her first album, Child of the Seventies, was released in 1972. Bettye saw a revival of interest in 2003, and released her third full length album (A Woman Like Me) that year. Her latest album, Worthy, was released in 2015. (Wikipedia)

Black History Month: Joyce Kennedy

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Joyce Kennedy (born 1948 in Anguilla, MS) is one of the lead vocalists for funk rock band Mother’s Finest. Joyce began her singing career after moving to Chicago as a child, and recorded the song “Darling I Still Love You” for Ran-Dee Records. She formed Mother’s Finest in the early 1970s with Glenn Murdock, whom she also married. The band saw three albums go gold: Mother’s Finest, Another Mother Further, and Mother Factor.

Mother’s Finest were the opening act for bands such as Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Aerosmith, and The Who. Their songs and albums have explored a variety of social issues, including the seeming conundrum of being (mostly) black rock and roll artists with songs such as “Niggizz Can’t Sing Rock and Roll” and the album Black Radio Won’t Play This Record.

Joyce also has a solo career, reaching number 2 on the Billboard R&B Charts and number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song “The Last Time I Made Love” (duet with Jeffrey Osbourne). She toured for the last time with Mother’s Finest in 2017.

See More: Wikipedia, Mother’s Finest Discography

Black Women in Punk and Metal: Addendum

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I don’t know everything, and that’s where I rely on you all (the readers!) to fill in the gaps. Recently, a reader emailed me a few bands that are led by black women, all of whom I knew nothing about previously. The person doesn’t have any social media that I can shout out, but Jean-Philippe, thank you for sending this information to me!

This is a paste directly from the email. A lot of what Jean-Philippe has to say is deep and relevant, so I’m including most of what was sent here. I love when people send me bands to feature, so if you know of any rock band with a black woman (or women!) in it that hasn’t been featured on this site, please send me an email! I can be reached at jaleesa@blackwomeninrock.info.

Hi ! My name is Jean-Philippe from Montreal.

I’ve bought Laina Dawes book ”What are doing here ?” and i must say i learn a LOT not only about the implication and the hard battles that black womens have to endure to making sure they have their place in the scene (punk#HC#Metal) but about the difficulties that these warriors have to face also in front of the relatives (families/friends/etc.) because of the ”akward” choice to love a music who is supposes to be dedicated to the ”masses” but in reality, for black womens, have to front, once again, another form of elitism if not discrimination and racism.

Inspired by the book, i’ve found your web site and i must say it is something that i was definitively missing…. Still A LOT to learn.

Being a punk/HC fan (my knowledge in metal is just awful), here’s some bands i’ve known who black womens were members :

1- WISIGOTH (Late 90’s Montreal). If you don’t know this band, i think you will really like. Zahra is the ”growl” voice in the dual vocals of this crust/punk/metal band.

 2- BRIGADA FLORES MAGON (France early 2000’s). Raymonde was the bassist of the band. She did an lp and a 10”. Brigada Flores Magon – Octobre 61
before she was the leader of tha band RAYMONDE ET LES BLANCS BECS in the early 90’s. Here’s page with cool pictures from here. http://rude-loulou.skyrock.com/842529397-RAYMONDE-ET-LES-BLANCS-BECS.html
Raymonde et les Blancs Becs – Footbollocks
3-CASEY (France – Discography) Known as the best french rapper, this black women have some of the most bitter, angry yet most intelligent texts. She love the ”HARDCORE” sound in music including rock and punk. She did a rock project with ZONE LIBRE and two lp’s aboslutly stunning lp’s have been release. Here’s one of the videos. Absolutly phenomenal.

one of the best songs of the project… so much despair and anger. A song about the exploited making a revolt against the tyranny on his different forms (bosses, politicians). A song who express how the poor/rejected is facing disdain and disgust from ”them” and the treatement he received with the stress and the despair that bring his destiny.

finally, sorry for the annoyance since you surely already know lots of the infos above. It’s just reading of the book and your web site gave me the occasion to ”go back in class” and make my homeworks about the challaneges that black womens have faced and won with courage and guts in this so-called ”scene for the misfits”.

Keep up the great work.
Sincerely.
JP